The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1887-10-13

be quiet; every word can be heard, and
shall miss my cue"
Mrs. Darlington. If You won't tell
me where my wife Is l will follow you
on to the stage and ask you there. ]
trusted her in your care-you are re-
sponsible for her. She told me she
was playing here tonight, and ] will
know where she IL.
A moment later and the amateur per.
Torrance would have been awakened
from its deailevel Of practiced medioc
rity by Q dash OF drama in real earnest.
Mrs. Darlington had swept on to the
stage in storm Of friendly applause,
and Tom bearing was dashing after
her when his arm was seized and he
himself was drawn persuasively on one
side by the Honorable Mrs. Mordaunt
She was woman Of the world, but
she had some heart, little battered
possibly, but still in working order.
go home; your wife won't be long,"
she said. ..She was going to play in
the farce and came down with US. but
was taken SO i'll with nervous head
nche that she was obliged to go back to
town. Ny sister was with her, and il she
isn't at home when you get there she
will be either at my sisters house or al
mine. will write down the address
for you"
AS she did so Tom bearing walkct
away. He had believed his wife, but
he did not believe Mrs. Mordaunt, ani
procuring program he held it before
her.
IF my wife was going to play in thu
farce" why isn't her name printce
heree" he asked in loud harsh tones
What is Capt. Vcrnon's address!"
His voice penetrated to the audience
Cries q ..Hushv' and Turn hil,
OUT" began to make themselves heard
The whole strength Of the amateur
company vainly endcavored to calm OF
to eject him. and shortly after 10 O'Clock
Tom bearings cab drew up before
Capt. vernon's chambers in Pail Mall
They were snug bachelors rooms,
hung with racing pictures and pretty
women's portraits, with whips and
foils. The remains Of a dainty suppei
lay on the table, and the waiter had
just carried in fresh supply Of cham;
payne. In . deep armchair by the
fire sat Marion bearing. and on th9
arm Of It Capt. Vernon leant, as, car
essing her hair with one hand, with the
other he offered her glass Of wine.
Take some more champagne. dar.
ling, he was saying; 1t will cheer yor
up"
Tho words were scarcely out Of hi.
lips when the glass he had held was
flung against his face and he himself
hurled to the ground and logged
mercilcssly with one Of his own hunt
ing whips, snatched from its place on
the wall. Capt. Vernon was tall, but
not Muscular. The attack was unex.
pected and his opponent mad with
fury. The noise OF the struggle and
Marion's wild shrieks brought some
half-dozen people on the scene, but not
before Tom had flung the Captain. with
all his force, face downward into the
CRATE, and, then, overturning the
suppcr-table and cxtinguishing the
light, escaped in the confusion and
darkness, lhrusting aside the wretched
woman who would have chung round
his feet.
Then he jumped into cab and drove
back to that homo which was never
more to be gladdened by tho presence
Of wife.
There was no divorce. no action for
assault. although each member Of
the Macrcadys and every one Of Capt.
Vernon's personal friends searched the
papers daily with the kindest solicitudc,
and experienced good deal Of disap-
pointment not untinged withindignation
at finding no news Of the bearing scan.
dial.
Capt. Vernon went abroad after de-
clining to see Mrs. bearing and return
ing her letters unopened. When he
came back in two years time his friends,
male and female. were delight to sec
him, and the latter voted him "more
irresistibly wicked than ever" He has
. deep scar on his cheek which he nc
counts for as being the result Of a duel
with Viennese student, and scarcely
any one knows champagne glass bad
more to do whit.
Mrs. Carington and the rest. mean
while, vindicated their occasional high
sense Of morality by dropping Mrs.
bearing. Il was decided that she
..threw herself At Capt. Vernon; Mrs.
Mordaunt opined that "a woman ought
to be able to take care Of herself" .
proposition with which tho other ladies
entirely concurred. In such society
periodical fits of pharisaical virtue clear
the moral atmosphere, and Mrs. Dear
ing was chosen IS the especial social
scapegoat on whose pretty head were
heaped the sins and follies Of tho COM
munity.
So, deserted by the women to whose
influence she owed her misfortunes.
shut out by the man she had deceived,
and scorned by the man she had loved,
Marion bearing lived for time in
dreary remorseful obscurity on . small
allowance paid her monthly by her
husbands solicitor. Then she obtained
employment in an orderly West End
theatre, but found the professional
stage, under these auspices. 50 utterly
lacking in the excitement and luxury ia
which her amateur experiences had &C.
customed her, that she soon tired Of II
and drifted into the choruses Of various
other theatres devoted to burlesque and
comic opera.
Naturally sweet, afEectionate, and
silly. she 10 popular but III at ease
among the class now surrounding her.
Her one desire is to forget; her one
dread solitude, with its companion,
thought. Every moment Of her life she
tries to fill with fresh excitement, fresh
designations, and the end 10 not to be
thought Of, not to be spoken Of, here.
Meanwhile . plain, Manufactured
man with prematurely white hail
spends his evenings alone in the little
house ct Chelsea, except on those rare
occasions when few friends come in